Thursday, January 19, 2012

Ye Did Run Well

Galatians 5:7

Ye Did Run Well

There was a time when "ye" (plural of you, to the Galatian churches) followed the fundamental teachings of the Gospel of grace by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. There was a time when you believed in and followed Christ and not man. There was a time when you did your work with singleness of heart and not in division, allowing men to have such influence on you.

There is mostly always a time in the past when believers have trusted the Lord more, served him more, and loved him more. It is certain that churches do leave their first love (Rev. 2:4). Some of the Galatian churches had, no doubt, left their first love, or they were on their way to doing so. "Ye did run well" in the beginning of your service to Christ, but what about now?

Who Did Hinder You?

Churches will go along just fine with their "first love" of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ until a person (who) comes along to mar the image of the blessed Gospel and to pervert it, making it a human idea or philosophy instead of a heavenly gift.

Notice Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? Someone has bewitched these believers not to obey the truth of the Gospel.

It was interesting to look up the word "who" in the book of Galatians to see their antecedents. There are 14 references with the word "who." Four times the word "who" refers to God or Christ. Three times the word "who" refers to believers. Once it refers to Jews, and six times the word "who" refers to those who are trying to hinder the Gospel.

Here are the references: 2:4 "false brethren;" 2:6 "those who seem to be somewhat;" 3:1 "ones who bewitch;" 4:23 " those of the bondwoman;" 5:7 "those who hinder;" and 6:13 "those who are circumcised and do not keep the law."

These are the ones who hinder the Gospel, the truth of it, and the glory of it. Theirs is a humanistic Gospel, a social or religious Gospel; but Christ's Gospel is one of divine origin and of God's working.

That Ye Should Not Obey The Truth

The truth begins with Gospel truth. That truth is the power of God unto salvation, and no other "truth" will accomplish real, genuine, and active salvation. Many religionists today are hindering the preaching of the Gospel of Christ by their humanistic means, their shallow doctrine, and their pernicious ways. Beware of false prophets (Matt. 7:15); beware of the leaven of the Pharisees (Matt. 10:17); and Phil. 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. Concision means mutilation, and that is what these interlopers do.

2 comments:

Family Budget said...

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